Review: Men In Black II

The first Men In Black came out of nowhere five years ago. Barry Sonnenfeld stole the box office that summer with the original, strange, hilarious, spoofy sci-fi comedy. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were the perfect pair for this inventive "who-are-the-aliens-in-our-midst" romp, playing secret agents working for a super-secret government agency keeping an eye on beings from outer space. It was perfect for the era of the still-vibrant X-Files. The sequel, inevitably, has lost some of the surprise. But it's still plenty of fun. Spoilage warning: plot discussed, not ending, not that it matters here.

The story line is almost irrelevant. Will Smith (Agent Jay) has to neuralize one dumb partner after another, and ends up with a smart-mouthed, sometimes hilarious pug for a partner. He pines for his former sidekick Tommy Lee Jones (Agent Kay), now neuralized and working for the institution with the greatest number of aliens, the U.S. Post Office. (The movie, like the first, gets off some great double entendres and inside jokes).

The movie opens with a campy Peter Graves spoof on the Ed Woods' style sci-fi movies of the 50's and 60's. Simply, Lara Flynn Boyle plays Serleena, the powerful alien queen ravaging earth to get her hands on a distant planet's light source. If she isn't stopped, the world will be destroyed, of course. Her prescence forces the MIB agency (headed by Sid, played by Rip Torn) to go and de-neuralize Kay, who comes back to re-join his buddy and save the world.

This is all beside the point, of course. The whole film is a device for Sonnenfeld's loopy rags on Martha Stewart (not perhaps as funny as it would have been a month ago) and Michael Jackson. There are hilarious locker room and worm aliens, and blessedly, the movie never takes itself seriously for a single second. Like the better parts of the Scream series, the movie ends up spoofing itself and the people who loved it.

If you go see it, all you need to know is that the surprise originality of the first is missing, mostly because we know what to expect, but the loopy and inventive spirit of MIB is very much alive.

CmdrTaco my 2 bits is that this movie was bland. It probably is my least favorite of the last half dozen movies I've seen. I loved the original, but this just doesn't have the punch of the first. Its got its moments, but the whole ride is weak. Watch Lilo & Stich instead ;)

Comments

Lilo and Stitch all the way!

[JoshWurzel]

Saw Lilo and Stitch opening weekend. Like attendence at Powerpuff Girls, we were the only ones in our demographic in the theater. We also laughed harder and louder than anyone else. People probably thought we were stoned.

Speaking of which...why hasn't there been a slashdot review of Lilo and Stitch?

Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way!

[Megumi_Slashbot]

I agree... Lilo and Stitch was an excellent movie. I can provide the quick review: This movie follows the Disney tradition of a great movie after a stinker. For example, Toy Story 2 was great while Dinosaur was nauseating. Lilo and Stitch, thankfully, comes after a bomb and is the best movie I've seen all year. Without spoiling the plot, it's a great movie for all ages. The interaction between the girl, Lilo, and the alien, Stitch, is priceless and had the theatre in stitches *no pun intended* as well as in tears at some parts. Guys, go see it... disregard your slashbotting urges to say that it's Disney and evil. On another note: I think the reason MIB2 gets more cover on Slashdot is it has more face value to slashbotters than a "kids movie" like Lilo and Stitch. Anyways my point's been made *HUGS* Megumi. english lessons going a long way!

Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way!

[eoeoe]

Simpsons is slapstick comedy? I think the Simpsons is the last bastion of great subtle humor layered underneath great ostentatious humor.

- Justin

Re:Hmm, where's Linda?

[iElucidate]

There is a throwaway reference to "your old partner who liked it better at the morgue." It all went downhill from there, and that was in the first five minutes. Kinda the way they keep dumping Austin Powers' girls.

Hmm

[quantaman]

working for a super-secret government agency

I got the idea in the first one that they didn't work for the government and were autonomous because it asked too many questions. Either way, anyone else find it funny how CmdrTaco simple 3 line review completely contrasts and pretty much cuts down JonKatz's review? Of course the question is which one will /.ers puts more credence in? :)

Oh those sequels

[IWantMoreSpamPlease]

Hollyweird has gotten so bad these days, that you can *practically* guarantee that anything with a number behind it will suck big time.

Nonetheless I was surprised when a sequel to MIB was announced (I didn't feel it needed one, but you know how Hollywood is..if the 1st made even a smidgen of money, sequel it!) and even more so that it didn't pick up where the last one left off (with Linda F. has Will's new partner).

So, I go see the film with reservations, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Sure, the film takes itself even less seriously than the last one, but it does expand more on the aliens and esp. the worm guys. It's funny, without degenerating into slapstick or schlock.

I think what helped that was having the same director for both.

In any case it's *certainly* better than other current sci-fi offerings currently playing at the theatres.

Missing the point of MIB

[rufusdufus]

The reviewer should pay a little more attention when he decides to write a review. The fact that he missed the part about the leader being Zed, not "Sid" is a big indicator of how much he missed.

MIB movies are not really about the plot. They are about mind expansion. About reading between the lines. And about perspective. That our perception is marred by the flaws of our memory, and our wishful thinking, and our emotional pain.
That your world view is just one of many, and pointedly, that thats OK.

Re:Theme song

[ceejayoz]

I found it rather catchy... stuck in my head all the way home, hehe...

Re:Sequels S***

[SquadBoy]

Wrath of Kahn. Toy Story 2. Empire which was better than SW:ANH. I liked Aliens better than Alien but that one is not as widely accepted. Also many of the Star Trek movies are better than the first one.

Re:Sequels S***

[pinkpineapple]

Terminator 2 didn't reallty suck neither... Original plot, killer effects, even better acting, plenty of lines to remember (Hasta la vista baby, I'll be back). That was a dream sequel compare to others.

PPA, the girl next door.

Re:see the NYTimes review.

[Anonymous Coward]

Did anyone read the NYTimes review?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/03/movies/ 03BLAC.ht ml
The reviews seem awfully identical verging on plagiarism!

coolest part

[r0b0t b0y]

first, i agree with most everyone else about the movie not being as great as the first...

however, the best part of that night was when the teaser for T3 came on the screen...as soon as the theme music started, the whole theater (being mostly filled with MIT kids) erupted in applause.

then we saw the "Summer 2003" and we all cried...

Many reasons to see Undercover Brother instead.

[MAXOMENOS]

Why you should see Undercover Brother instead of Men In Black II:

• Undercover Brother is a lot funnier than MIIB.
• Undercover Brother has more great "movie moments" than MIIB (e.g. the car spinning out without UB spilling a drop of his orange soda)
• Undercover Brother and MIIB both involve secret agencies, but the secret agency of UB is more interesting this time around.
• There are just as many 'gross out' scenes in Undercover Brother as there are in MIIB, and they're more believable. (Mayonayse...ick!)
• Like MIIB, Undercover Brother is a parody. Unlike MIIB, Undercover Brother isn't a parody of itself.
• Since Undercover Brother has been out for a few weeks, a greater percentage of the proceeds go to local movie theatres than go to the studios and the MPAA.